Not too bad ... but nothing great

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 2004)

While I don't believe `28 Days Later' was the scariest, most
intense movie I've ever watched (as it was marketed), it does do
an effective job generating a threatening atmosphere.
I've read some reviews that debunk all the horror elements from
this movie, but I tend to disagree. `28 Days Later' is not just a
mere suspense thriller. There are pervasive science fiction and
horror movie elements spread throughout that cannot be denied.
I'd like to think of this movie as an amalgamation of the three,
making for a satisfying, albeit unoriginal movie.
There are obvious influences here. Most notably `The Last Man on
Earth,' (the often overlooked predecessor to `The Omega Man'),
and George Romero's `Day of the Dead.'
The premise involves a highly contagious virus called `rage' that is
willingly unleashed by a group of animal rights activists in London.
The infection generates paranoia and madness in its victims,
eradicating any and all `human' emotions. As I understood it,
these `infected' people only seek to kill or infect the otherwise
un-infected.
Anyway, a small group of survivors follow a strange radio signal
that promises `salvation' and a cure. What they discover is ... well,
the exact opposite of what they were hoping and looking for. I won't
give away any more elements of the plot so as not to spoil the
movie for anyone.
Director Danny Boyle, in my opinion, is a good director that's more
often than not saddled with mediocre scripts. His best work was
`Shallow Grave.' What is often considered his greatest work,
`Trainspotting,' was to me boring ... bereft of any likable
characters. With `28 Days Later,' Boyle tries to re-introduce a
popular genre to an audience weary of bad horror and thriller
movies. The result is a decent film ... but it's neither fresh nor
unconventional. (Though I did read that Boyle shot in a
high-definition digital format ... I suppose that's a trifle
unconventional.)
What I liked was Richard Matheson's iconoclast book, `I Am
Legend.' It was the basis for `The Last Man on Earth' and the ugly
`Omega Man.' In it, a man discovers that he is the only survivor of a
plague that's changed mankind into slow, unthinking vampires.

I would have liked to have seen something similar to that. A
faithful, modern interpretation of Matheson's novel would make for
an excellent horror movie if done correctly. I guess I was hoping for
something like that in `28 Days Later.'
Also ... and maybe this is just trifling, but I had kind of hoped to see
a couple flashback scenes where London's population began the
mass `exodus.' Sort of a frenzy scene in which general law and
order de-evolved into chaos. However, I understand that the film's
budget probably didn't allow for it.